Digital Marketing Building and Construction Facs Sheet by WSI Online (www.wsionline.ee_eng) Industry Overview Business Challenges Industry Opportunities Digital Marketing Trends Social Media Uses for Business Information Construction Companies Using LinkedIn Digital Marketing Opportunities Popular Pay-Per-Click Keywords

1. Building and Construction
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Industry Overview
Major services in the construction industry include heavy and civil engineering projects as well as non-residential
buildings, such as those for industrial, commercial and institutional use. The demand for construction depends heavily
upon the health of the economy, which includes corporate profits and local government budgets. This industry is highly
competitive with companies that range from small private firms to multi-billion dollar companies. Profitability of
companies depends on project bids and efficiency of operations. As such, the larger companies have an advantage in
their ability to become involved in multiple projects simultaneously and in different types of construction. Likewise,
smaller construction companies can compete through specializing, or subcontracting on larger projects.
Typical customers of the industry are comprised of property developers, corporations, institutions and government
bodies. Additionally, contracts with business leaders, architects, engineers, developers and other construction firms are
very important sources for leads and projects. On the promotional front, major marketing initiatives include customer
visits, magazine advertising, trade publications and participation at industry tradeshows.
Business Challenges
High Insurance Costs: For the most part, construction contractors pay high premiums for various types of
insurance. This includes worker compensation, general liability and surety. Major insurance issues involve a
variety of concerns, such as construction delays or defects, accidents by inexperience or overworked employees,
and even poor bookkeeping.
Safety Liability: Unfortunately, the construction industry has a considerably large share of fatalities. In effect,
contractors carry liability insurance to protect against lawsuits brought forth by injuries to employees or to job
site visitors.
Uneven Revenue and Expenses: While contractors incur a steady stream of expenses, customer payments are
periodic including payments retained even after a project is complete. Poor weather can significantly delay
construction schedules and create an uneven cash flow. Additionally, prices or availability of major raw material
like lumber, steel or concrete can change quickly. On larger scale projects, prime contractors may even handle
more complicated cash flows, like progress payments to subcontractors.
Industry Opportunities
Computer, Construction Technology: Advancements in computer technology and building techniques allow
companies to enhance on project implementation. Computer technology, for instance, has reduced costs and
mistakes, which is vital to an industry that relies heavily on scheduling, coordination and technical specifications.
New, innovative building methods can also drastically simplify commercial projects and reduce costs and time-
to-completion.
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

2. Building and Construction
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Green Construction: The demand is rising for environmentally-friendly construction, materials, practices and
certifications. An increased use of steel has helped qualify structures as “green,” by way of its recycled content.
Steel products (as opposed to wood) last longer and command a more uniformed quality in addition to
significantly reducing waste. Additionally, new “cool” metal roofing is much more energy efficient than
traditional building materials.
Buildings for High-Growth Population Segments: Growth in population segments presents great opportunities
for the commercial construction industry. For example, as the baby-boomer population segment rises in the
next decade, there will be a higher need for retirement, assisted living and hospital facilities.
Digital Marketing Trends
Social Media Uses for Business Information
The majority of real estate and construction companies in
North America use social media in their businesses to read
user ratings and reviews for products and services (according
to 69% of respondents). Sixty-three percent of respondents
said they visit company or product profile pages on social
media sites. On the other hand, 61% of companies in the real
estate and construction industry attend webinars or listen to
podcasts online. Reaching and downloading business-related
content on third-party content-sharing sites was ranked as the
4th most common social media activity among those in the real
estate and construction industry (59% of respondents).
Another popular social media activity among real estate and
construction companies is visiting company blogs (54%), while
48% of respondents said they use social media to ask
questions on Q&A sites like Yahoo! Answers and LinkedIn
forums. Other reasons that companies in the real estate and
construction industry use social media for business
information include: participating in online business
communities, conducting searches for information, subscribing
to RSS feeds of business-related news or information sites,
participate in discussions on third-party sites, save business-
related links on social bookmarking sites and use Twitter to
find or request business-related information.
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

3. Building and Construction
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Construction Companies Using LinkedIn
The construction industry is among the top 10 industries worldwide
using LinkedIn as of March 2011. According to eMarketer, construction
companies are ranked in 9th place among the top 10 industries. With
3.2 million LinkedIn users around the world, construction companies
have more of a presence on LinkedIn than those within the government
industry. Other sectors that have a strong presence on LinkedIn include:
recreational companies, consumer goods, educational companies,
medical professionals, manufacturers, financial institutions and high
tech companies.
Digital Marketing Opportunities
Immediate Areas of Focus for Social and Mobile
When we look at the latest digital marketing opportunities of social media and mobile for businesses in the building and
construction industry, their main considerations and focus should be on how they can use these technologies to develop
stronger relationships with their consumers, industry peers and suppliers, as well as raise awareness around their
company as an industry leader. On the social front, building and construction companies are leveraging social
technologies like blogs and forums to showcase their expertise, prove their industry leadership and voice their opinions
on upcoming legislation and regulations. They utilize social alerts and review sites to monitor their brand mentions and
facilitate online recommendations. They are also using Twitter and LinkedIn to network and build connections, share
company news and content, and listen to what consumers are saying about their brand.
On the mobile front, companies in the building and construction industry are still learning how to effectively use this
relatively untapped tool. As a result, those that do move forward with a mobile strategy could have a profitable
competitive advantage. To start, these companies are ensuring their websites are mobile-friendly and then looking to
improve their service offerings through simple, yet effective, applications such as mobile calculators for specifiers and
design tools for architects. When it comes to social technologies and mobile marketing, below is where we see the
majority of building and construction companies making considerations from a strategy standpoint.
Social Technologies
Blog Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube News Feeds/ Social Forums Review
Social Alerts Bookmarking Sites
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

4. Building and Construction
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Mobile Marketing
Mobile Mobile Local Mobile Mobile
Site Search Ads/ Text Apps
Popular Pay-Per-Click Keywords
Keyword Advertiser Global Monthly Estimated Cost
Competition Searches per Click
construction 0.22 135000 $2.25
maison 0.33 110000 $1.23
civil engineering 0.35 90500 $1.17
construction jobs 0.87 49500 $0.94
contractor 0.29 33100 $3.34
builders 0.79 27100 $2.27
construction news 0.49 22200 $0.95
carpentry 0.41 22200 $2.07
builder 0.29 22200 $2.47
construction companies 0.6 18100 $2.11
home builders 0.87 18100 $3.05
construction maison 0.92 18100 $1.20
construct 0.03 14800 $0.44
excavation 0.24 14800 $2.40
contractors 0.59 14800 $3.64
construction company 0.39 12100 $1.96
general contractor 0.63 9900 $5.01
building construction 0.44 9900 $0.79
construction equipment 0.74 9900 $1.89
health and safety 0.56 60500 $1.65
Check for more
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.